Glucose
Chemical name	6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-2,3,4,5-tetrol
Synonym for D-glucose	dextrose
Varieties of D-glucose	α-D-glucose; β-D-glucose
Abbreviations	Glc
Chemical formula	C6H12O6
Molecular mass	180.16 g mol−1
Melting point	α-D-glucose: 146°C β-D-glucose: 150°C
Density	1.54 g cm-3
CAS number	50-99-7 (D-glucose)
CAS number	921-60-8 (L-glucose)
SMILES	C(C1C(C(C(C(O1)O)O)O)O)O

Glucose (Glc), a monosaccharide (or simple sugar), is one of the most important carbohydrates. The cell uses it as a source of energy and metabolic intermediate. Glucose is one of the main products of photosynthesis and starts cellular respiration. The natural form (D-glucose) is also referred to as dextrose, especially in the food industry. This article deals with the D-form of glucose (The mirror-image of the molecule is called L-glucose. See also Isomers-section below)

Structure

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Glucose contains six carbon atoms and an aldehyde group and is therefore referred to as an aldohexose. The glucose molecule can exist in an open-chain (acyclic) and ring (cyclic) form, the latter being the result of an intramolecular reaction between the aldehyde C atom and the C-5 hydroxyl group to form an intramolecular hemiacetal. In water solution both forms are in equilibrium, and at pH 7 the cyclic one is the predominant. As the ring contains five carbon atoms and one oxygen atom, which resembles the structure of pyran, the cyclic form of glucose is also referred to as glucopyranose. In this ring, each carbon is linked to an hydroxyl side group with the exception of the fifth atom, which links to a sixth carbon atom outside the ring, forming a CH₂OH group.

Isomers

Glucose has 4 optic centers which means that in theory glucose can have (4²-1) = 15 optical stereoisomers. Only 7 of these are found in living organisms, and of these galactose (Gal) and mannose (Man) are the most important. These eight isomers (including glucose itself) are all diastereoisomers in relation to each other and all belong to the D-series.

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